For $9 a pound you can expect a heritage chicken to taste good. Like it,RealGood. But a casual glance atAmazon Reviewsof heritage chickens shows that some customers (a surprising 27 percent, in fact) think they didn't get the deliciousness they paid for.
“These chickens are the coolest and strictest chickens I have ever cooked,” wrote one. "They are advertised as skinny, but that is an understatement. They could win a fitness competition. [I am] extremely disappointed... and also concerned that the chickens may be malnourished."
But the thing is, heritage chickens aren't the plump birds you find in the grocery store. They may be just as tasty (and many say radically tastier), but they are different in so many ways.
Heritage chickens are genetically different
They were bred for it. While industrial or commercial chickens are intended to grow quickly and efficiently in cages – in as little as 42 days – heritage birds are born from industrially regulated eggs and raised for at least 16 weeks in a natural outdoor environment, where they reproduce as nature intended . saySun Basket-colaJustine Kelly.
Or likeMinced meatchampionSilvia Baldiniexplains, "a heritage chicken must have the genetic ability to live a long, vigorous life and thrive in the rigors of pasture-based systems."
Heritage chickens also have a leaner body; they're like the runway model version of chickens, with small breasts and a deeper, darker skin tone. They're the OG of chickens, like 'Americans' obsession with hugechicken breastis a recent phenomenon,” says Baldini.
Heritage chickens have completely different tastes
Additionally, the taste of a heritage chicken is different from that of a commercial bird. After all, they don't eat a processed meal or feed like their less fortunate cousins; they forage for insects and grass, making the taste of their meat "inconsistent, just as the taste of a tomato varies from season to season depending on where and how it was grown," says Kelly.
While a commercial chicken may be bland, "the flavor of the meat from a heritage chicken is intense," says Baldini, "and the fibers in the meat are very strong and difficult to break down."
Heritage chickens must be cooked differently
You can't expect a heritage chicken to taste the same as any other bird you buy at the grocery store, nor can you cook them the same way.
You can order a heritage chicken online or find one at the local farmers market, where "you can often talk to the person who raised your bird, which is pretty cool," says Kelly, who suggests "buying a younger bird to roast, bake or grill, and a more mature chicken if you plan to braise or make a stew.
However you cook it, Baldini recommends cooking heritage chickens "very low and very slow" for the best flavor. Do not cheat. “These birds have had a lot more exercise – and over a longer period of time – than the chickens from the supermarket,” says Baldini. “It produces flavor, but also increases the cooking time required for those exercising muscles.”
Without cooking traditional chickens slow and slow, "the birds will be tough," Baldini warns. It's also best to roast, broil or braise an heirloom bird, she says.
In fact, here's an easy way to ensure you love your heirloom chicken: Roast the bird in a Dutch oven over low temperature, smothered in quality butter for golden, crispy skin. “Then let the heritage chicken rest for 10 minutes so that the juiciness is retained in the tender meat,” Baldini advises. If you don't have time to cook a heirloom bird, or you want to throw a breast on the grillMemorial Day– reaching for the commercial kind instead.
